Police were set last night to begin seizing the cars of drunken drivers in a tough new crackdown aimed at making streets safer, officials said.

A memo obtained by The Post gives officers detailed instructions on how to implement the new Zero Tolerance Drinking and Driving Initiative.

It instructs cops that after they make a drunken-driving arrest they should run a check of computerized Department of Motor Vehicles records to determine the owner of the car.

If the driver owns the vehicle the cop will fill out papers that begin the forfeiture proceeding to take the car away – and the driver must go to civil court if he wants to get it back.

But having the car registered in someone else’s name isn’t always a protection for the drunken drivers, says the memo from Police Commissioner Howard Safir.

If cops suspect a drunken driver has “exclusive use” of a car whether or not his name is on the title, the vehicle can still be seized.

In another wrinkle, the memo says that if the owner of the car knows it’s going to be used to commit a crime – such as driving while intoxicated – the car can be taken away.

Cops were also instructed that in cases where drivers are arrested for “driving while impaired” – with a blood alcohol level below the legally drunk level of .10 but above .06 – the vehicles cannot be seized.

The memo also states that:

*Rental cars won’t be seized but leased cars can be taken away even if the leasing company is the registered owner.

*Taxis and livery cabs owned by a third party will not be seized – unless the owner of the car knew the driver was drunk behind the wheel.

*A car owned by the parent or spouse of a drunken driver usually won’t be seized, unless cops suspect the driver is the only one who uses the car.

People busted on DWI charges will have 25 days to file a claim to get their car back. A DWI bust will now initiate both a criminal proceeding on the DWI charge and a civil court proceeding in the forfeiture case, so the return of the vehicle won’t be automatic, city lawyers said.